One body, Split Mind
by Fellest
Summary: Matthew has been having problems, so Francois takes him to Arthur. Things get more complicated when both Matthew and his alter-ego Alfred devolpe crushes on their psychologist, who has eyes for another, particular, family man. I have changed the rating!
1. Love Hate

One Body, Split Mind

[Matthew x Alfred x Arthur x Francois]

_I love you; I hate you!_

Part 1:

Matthew had been balling his eyes out. Francois had tried his best to comfort the young boy, rocking him backwards and forwards in the bed. No matter what he said, the child just wouldn't tell him what was wrong.

"Matthew, sweetie; please tell me what is wrong." But he only clung onto the older man's shirt, crying. Francois kissed him on the head as Matthew began to settle down.

He was going to place the boy back onto the bed, but found it difficult with Matthew clinging to his shirt. She smiled down and ask, "Do you want to sleep in with me, my darling?"

The young child nodded, his sobs sub-siding. Francois took the small child into his room and laid him on the double bed, before slipping in next to him. He sighed as Matthew moved closer to him, clinging to his shirt once again. The Frenchman held the small figure, realising that he would have to see _'him'_ tomorrow about Matthew.

*****

Francois sat in front of a polished wooden desk. Behind it sat Arthur, the psychologist. The Frenchman held Matthew, who was sleeping, tightly in his arms, lightly running his hand through the soft curls.

"So that's him, eh?" said Arthur, looking down at the small form. "How old is… Matthew?"

"He's ten, but he's very bright…"

"Small ten year old," commented Arthur, still looking at the boy. "Cute though… So tell me _exactly_ what is wrong with him."

Francois gave him a grave look, sighing. He gulped and explained, "I adopted him two years ago: His mother was narcissistic and his father was a drunk, and was rarely seen. He was ignored most of the time—"

"How did you get hold of him?"

Francois gave him a fake smile. "I knew his parents, you could say. I couldn't sit back and watch him being abused like that, so when they said that they were sending him away, I volunteered to adopt him, instead."

"Send him where?"

"A boarding school in Moscow, I think. He's father was Russian, you see… They didn't seem to care less if he went there or stayed with me. I was happy when I took him away, but…"

"But?" Arthur was on the edge of his chair.

"Everything was fine at first but…" He looked down at the figure, who stirred a little and then resumed his nap. "I home school him because of the episodes. He would wake up at night, crying or screaming and thrashing about, so he would always have to catch up on his sleep the next day."

"Francois; what episodes?"

The Englishman couldn't even see the other man's eyes anymore: his face had drooped so low that his hair would cover his eyes. He weakly said, "I think he has… or developed, a split personality. He would seem so calm and sweet one minute, and then get overly brave and confident the next. He almost broke his leg once, trying to climb onto the roof of the house. He got really up set afterwards, and wouldn't stop apologizing for it.

"I love him so much, he's really such a sweet child, but I don't know what else to do…"

When he looked up, he almost jumped at how close Arthur was. The Englishman was right in front of them, looking down at the young boy. He held out his arms and asked, "May I?"

Francois smiled softly and lifted the child up and into Arthur's arms. The Englishman cradled the boy. "He's so light and soft. What a cute face…"

"Can you help him?"

Without looking away from Matthew, he said, "I'm sure I can do something. Come back on Friday, I think I have a free between twelve and two."

"Thank you, Arthur."

*****

Matthew didn't like lying back on those long chairs in the psychologist's office. He got enough sleep as it is without being encouraged. He was sitting on a chair, legs dangling backwards and forwards. Across the desk was Arthur, tapping a black pen on his clip board.

Matthew asked quietly, "Is… is papa mad at me?"

Arthur shook his head and smiled warmly at the shaking child. "No, of cause not, he's just… a little worried about you, is all. I'm a doctor, you see."

"A doctor… am I, sick? Will papa get mad—?" The boy was cut short by a sob, tears forming in his eyes. He moved his hands up to wipe them away, but they stayed there as he sobbed a little more.

Arthur gasped, leaning over the desk a little. "Matthew stop, I'm not that kind of doctor; I'm a psychologist."

Matthew looked up and sobbed, "What's a _psychologist_?"

Arthur sighed and explained, "A psychologist is a kind of doctor, but instead of find and fixing you physically—" He stopped, trying to find a more delicate explanation: he didn't want to upset the boy any further. "You see, a doctor gives you pills if there's something wrong with your body, but they can't tell if there's something wrong in your mind, so they have psychologist for that. I'm like a doctor, of sorts."

"Doctor… for your, head? What do you do then?"

Arthur couldn't help but smile: the child was so cute when thinking. "I just told you…"

"No, I mean: if you're not like a sick doctor, then how do you fix the brain? You're not going to open it up or anything, are you?"

The Englishman just stared for a moment. He then tried to stifle a laugh, explaining, "No, I find out people's problems by talking to them."

"Why?"

"Because they talk back. That's what I want you to do: tell me about these _episodes_ you've been having. Start by telling me about, the _other_ person in your head." He watched the boy's head shoot up.

"Who told you about that?"

Arthur smiled and got off his chair. He walked up to the young boy, placed his hands on the boy's shoulders and said, "Francois. I'm sorry if I offended you, but you need to tell me about this second person, okay?"

Matthew nodded and bit his bottom lip. "Buy… but… I can't- It's just that—"

"Okay, you don't have to tell me, Matthew." The Englishman sighed and stood up straight, smiling at the boy. "Next time we meet, though, I want you to tell me about the episodes, okay?"

Matthew nodded his head and smiled. "I'm sorry… I will next time, promise."

Arthur chuckled, patting the boy on his head. "Good."

*****

Matthew was having a bad dream again. He was pulling at his hair, his back arching off the bed.

In the dream, he was looking up at a very tall man. He couldn't seem him too well; all he could make out was a long, black jacket and short, blonde hair. The man laughed hysterically, his voice becoming deeper then usual, with the hint of a drunken accent. "Stupid, rotten little brat: you think you can run away from me that easily, brat! As soon as you return, I'll—"

The terrible man was cut off. A young boy stood in between the two. Matthew held his breath as the boy yelled, "Leave, we're not scared of you anymore! Because I've become stronger, father, and nothing can stop that!"

The man disappeared into the darkness. Matthew breathed again, letting out a sigh. The other boy turned to leave a face that was exactly the same as his own, and hair that was almost as similar, but shorter. He bent down to Matthew and said, "See, I told you he can't hurt you anymore."

Tears weld up in the Canadian's eyes. "Alfred: you came back for me…"

"Of cause, I said I would protect you; didn't I?" he winked.

A shaky smiled crossed the young boy's face as he bit his bottom lip. Without a word, he threw himself into the other's arms, who accepted him openly. Alfred held Matthew close to him and kissed him on the head. "Don't cry, Mattie: I'll always be here to save you, no matter what…"

When Matthew woke-up, he came face to face with Francois, who was shaking him softly. "Matthew, child, you are awake. Are you okay? Do you want to come sleep in with me again?"

Tear's welling up again; Matthew shook his head, and let himself be lifted up by Francois, who took him back to his room.

_To be Continued…_

_PS_

_I'm writing this in response to a meme. The person asked for Matthew to have a split personality due to childhood abuse. So Francois, who adopted him, sent him to see Arthur. Since I'm also writing another meme (or two…) this one may take a while to up-date, but hopefully not too long…_


	2. Alfred

One Body, Split Mind

[Matthew x Alfred x Arthur x Francois]

_Meeting of the Minds…_

Part 2:

Arthur met Alfred in their second session. Due to an unusually busy schedule, he didn't see the young boy in two weeks. Apparently, Francois was thinking of taking up his job as a chef again, but was waiting for Matthew to get better, that's why he didn't work for those couple of years he had the boy.

Matthew was sitting on the long chair this time, with Arthur tapping his clip board again. The Englishman asked, "Matthew, I want you to tell me about yourself. About your parents partically, okay?"

Matthew shuttered at the question. "It's okay; take your time, Matthew."

The boy bit his lip and looked away. "Dad drank… Sometimes, he'd yell, and hit, and throw things around…"

"Your mother?"

"She likes herself, a lot." Arthur looked at the boy, who was squeezing his hand a little. "She… I don't think, she wanted me very much. She never talked to me, or picked me up…"

"Did she work? Did she have a job?"

Matthew shook his head. "No. She just stayed at home, always in her room or being around dad…"

"What was her relationship with your father? What did he do?"

Matthew pondered for a moment. It must've been some times since he last saw them, and he wasn't too fond of trying to remember either. "I don't remember, what he did, but I think he did a lot of lifting or something because he would always complain about back aches."

"And what was he like around your mum?"

To Arthur's surprise, Matthew merely stuck out his tongue. "She was always around dad, always kissing him and stuff… She always cooked for him. I don't remember too much though."

"She didn't feed you then?"

"Well…" He took in a breath, trying to suppress what sounded like the start of a sob. "I think she forgot. Papa was our cook. He would sneak me food every so often." He then turned to Arthur and smiled. "He couldn't do too much to dad, but papa would always talk to me and feed me whenever he came over."

Arthur sat there, wide eyed: "Francois?"

"Yeah, but…"

"But what, Matthew?"

Matthew looked down, biting hard on his bottom lip. The boy pulled something out of his breast pocket and began pinning his hair back. However, Arthur jumped forward as soon as he saw blood dribble down from the boy's lip.

He tried to pry to lip open, watching as the boy continued trying to pull back his hair. "Matthew: what's wrong? You have to say something… Matthew!"

The boy opened his mouth a little, crossing his arms. He looked up and smirked. The first thing that caught the Englishman's attention was those eyes: Matthew's usually lavender eyes were now bluer, which he guess was by the dilation of the pupils. But there was something about the boy…

Arthur asked him, "Are you okay, Matthew?"

The kid snickered and shook his head. Arthur cocked his and said, "What is wrong then?"

The boy chuckled again, keeping his arms crossed.

"You're Alfred, aren't you?" He nodded.

Arthur was about to return to his seat, when a small hand grabbed his shirt and the boy yelled, "Stay away from Matthew!"

"What did you just—?"

"I said stay away! He doesn't need you to torment him worse then his already gone through!" Arthur looked down at him: Alfred's eyes were burning with rage. "Do you hear me, old man?!"

"Alfred, I—"

"Stop it; you'll make it worse for him!" He jumped off the chair and grabbed Arthur with both hands now.

The Englishman grabbed the arms lightly, bent down to eye level and asked, "Are you trying to protect Matthew, still?"

Alfred didn't say anything; instead he tried to lunge at the Englishman, pushing him to the ground. Arthur had to grab an incoming fist as the boy tried to attack him. Arthur brought the boy down and brought him down into an embrace. Alfred tried to squirm away, but the Englishman had a tight hold, whispering into the boy's ear, "Please Alfred, I promise you, I'm not trying to hurt him."

"Liar! That's what that bastard said!"

"Who?"

There was a moment, and then, in a calm, quiet voice, the boy said, "Dad…"

Matthew pulled the pins out of his hair and looked up at Arthur with tear stained cheeks and red eyes. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to attack you…"

He nuzzled his face into Arthur's chest, crying. The Englishman hushed him and said, "It's okay Matthew: I know. I'll go and call Francois, okay?" Matthew nodded.

*****

As Matthew lay asleep, Arthur jacked his head up from the pillow and said, "You didn't tell me you worked for Ivan, Francois."

The Frenchman snickered, looking back up at the Englishman, an arm behind his head. "Well, that's what happens when we don't see each other for ten years. Anyway, I didn't really work for him- per sa… I went there once a week, that's all."

Arthur smiled down and asked, "For Matthew?"

They stayed silent for a moment. "Yeah: they use to have a maid, she looked after Matthew until he was four. But Elizabeta left so I volunteered to cook, since Natalia didn't bother. Something to do with _'I might get my hands and hair dirty,'_ or something stupid like that—"

Arthur sighed, laying his head next to the Frenchman's. They both remained silent for a moment, the Englishman running his finger down Francois's bare chest. He broke the silence and asked, "Heard you were thinking of getting your job back. What are you going to do about Matthew?"

Francois moved onto his side and caressed the side of the Englishman's cheek, saying, "I'm thinking of putting him in school, or at least a day care centre, but I want to wait and see if this is working yet."

"It'd be hard since he's use to being home schooled. He might not do well around other children… I met Alfred today."

Francois's eye twitched. "And?"

Arthur stretched his arms out and moved them behind the Frenchman's neck. Francois snaked an arm around his companion's waist, hearing the man continue, "Reminds me of myself, back when we were in high school."

"Yeah, we were pretty rowdy back then, weren't we? You know, maybe next time, I can be on…"

Arthur moved his lips onto Francois's, who opened his quite wilfully. They were like that for a moment before drawing apart. The Englishman said, quietly, "I'm seeing the child for free as a favour to you, so you owe me."

"I thought you hated me…"

"I- don't hate you, it's just…" Arthur moved into the crook of the Frenchman's neck and continued slowly, "I think it's just the way we were in those days. But I think we've come a long way… And even if thing's hadn't, I can't turn my back on a child."

"Have you grown fond of Matthew too?"

Arthur didn't reply. He held the Englishman close, before drifting off. Sighing, Arthur got up, dressed and snuck out of the house.

*****

Francois fixed Matthew's collar and then combed the boy's long blonde locks. Matthew sighed and asked, "Papa, where am I going today?"

"I'm going to see how well you react around other kids, so I'm sending you to Victoria Day Care. But I want you to ring me if something happens, or if you're having some problems, okay Matthew?"

The boy nodded, "Okay papa: what's a day care?"

"It's like a temporary school; I just want to see if you're able to be okay without me, if I go and get a job. I'll be at home, just in case you ring, okay?"

The boy nodded again.

He drew Matthew into an embrace and kissed him on the head. "Will you be okay without me, darling?"

Matthew giggled. "I love papa, and I'll do anything to help you."

"Okay, then let's go…" said Francois, taking the boy outside, into the car and off.

_To be Continued…_

_PS_

_Is the thing between Arthur and Francois too vague or confusing? Did I put in the change of personality correct? Do people even READ these Author Notes?!_

_Edit: for those reading back now to check the differences, here they are:_

_A slight change to Matthew talking about his mother: he doesn't mention the stove now._

_Francois and Arthur's little _interlude:_ I made this a little more PG/T now. The reason for it is mentioned at the end of chapter 8. The reason it's _there_ is because I was up to chapter 8 when I made the edits to down stage this a bit, so it's for my lovely fan's who made it _that_ far…_

_Yeah, just two changes cause I thought the first one was a bit silly on contradictory to later statements made._


	3. Nursarys

One Body, Split Mind

[Matthew x Alfred x Arthur x Francois]

_Nursery Rhyme._

Part 3:

Francois held Matthew close.

They were outside the gates of the day care. The place wasn't very big, but it did have many children running around on the grass, outside a small brick building. Francois released the boy and said, "Now, call me if anything happens, okay? Do you want me to stay—?"

"Papa, I'll be alright," giggled Matthew. He placed a kiss on the man's forehead and said, "As long as Alfred stays asleep, I won't get into trouble."

The Frenchman smiled and released the boy. He was about to leave when a voice was heard from behind, "Hey it's Francois; where've you been old boy?"

Francois chuckled lightly, turning: there stood Antonio, with two boys at either side. One was a bubbly looking, brown hair boy with a single curl dangling in front of him. On the other side of the Spaniard was a boy almost identical to the other, accept with darker hair and a pout on his face.

Francois asked, "Are these two—?"

"Yup!" smiled Antonio. Holding up the happier boy's hand, he said, "This one's Feliciano, and this one's" he pulled up the hand of the other boy, "Lovino. Who's that kid with you? Look's just like you- did you really get some woman pregnant?"

Matthew smiled nervously and waved at the Spaniard. The Frenchman's eye twitched as he held Matthew closer to him. "Shut-up Antonio; I adopted him two years ago. Are those two your's?"

Antonio looked down at his kids and said, "Yeah, they're mine."

"Who's the poor lady?"

The Spaniard snickered, releasing the boy's into the day care. "I don't remember… I just found these kids dumped on my door step several years ago with a note saying they were mine!"

Francois just looked at him. "How do you know?"

Antonio shrugged and looked back at the boys, who were running around with some of the other kids. "Yeah, Roderick told me to get a DNA test to make sure. Can't remember what chick I bumped up to get them, but I have them now and that's the end of that. Neither of them would tell me who their mother was either…" He nodded his head, smiling.

Matthew nudged Francois and smiled up at his father. The Frenchman bent down again asked, "Do you want to go in now." Matthew nodded. "Okay, go over and play with Feliciano and his brother, okay?"

Matthew smiled and nodded, waving at Antonio before running into the day care. Antonio smiled as he watched Feliciano and Matthew talking, and then began running around. He asked, "He's so polite, where did you get him from?"

Francois's face darkened and said, "I think it's better if I told you later…"

"My name's Feliciano, what's you're name?" asked the Italian, sitting on the grass.

Matthew smiled, sitting next to him. "I'm Matthew, nice to meet you."

Their giggling and laughing stop when a cheerful, albino man appeared with a young, blonde boy in his arms. He smiled as he placed the young boy next to Feliciano.

"There you go, Ludwig," he said in a German accent, "I'll be back this afternoon to pick you up. I have to go though, I think I saw… Francois?"

The albino gawked down at Matthew, who was moving closer to the Italian in fear. Next to them, a small, yet militaristic voice spoke in another German accent, "Brother, please do not stare at people. It is rude! Go find Francois, if you must…"

The albino scratched his head and left the three, muttering to himself, "That kid so looks like Francois… but his eye's are like Ivan's. Maybe I should cut down on the beer…"

"I'm sorry about him," Matthew looked over at the new comer. The boy was blonde with blue eyes and a smile on his face, "That's my brother Gilbert: he's a bit of a dork some times, just ignore him."

The small Canadian giggled and returned the grin. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Matthew."

The young German nodded and said, "I'm Ludwig… Oh, hello there Feliciano, didn't see you there…"

The Italian had jumped onto the German and was now hugging him. Ludwig chuckled to himself as he tried to pry the young boy off of him. "Yes, I'm here Feliciano… You can let go no- now, let go! LET GO DAMN IT!"

The German practically threw the boy off. Un-fazed, the Italian sat back up again and laughed, "That was fun, let's do it again!"

"No!"

"Mr. Ludwig and Feliciano: are you's two alright?" asked a small voice from behind. Matthew turned around and saw a young, Japanese boy with a blank face. He blushed and waved, "Hello, I am Kiku…"

Matthew waved back, smiling warmly. "Hi, I'm Matthew, are you Ludwig and Feliciano's friend too?"

The young boy nodded his head, sitting next to the Canadian. Kiku cocked his head and asked, "I haven't seen you here before; are you new?"

Matthew nodded. "My papa want to send to school until now."

"Why is that?"

"Well…" Matthew looked back at Ludwig, who was fending himself against the over zealous Italian, and then looked away. "Papa just likes… having me around, is all. But he needed to go and get a job, so he dropped me off here."

"Did you want to come?"

Matthew looked up and smiled. "Actually, yes, anything to help papa. He didn't want me to come, but I told him I would be fine…"

Kiku just smiled, moving a bit closer. "He sounds over protective. My father has so many children to look after. He wanted to send me to this expensive gramma school up the road, but he couldn't afford it, so my brothers and sisters and I come here."

"How many siblings do you have?"

The Japanese contemplated for a moment before answering, "Well, only the Korean and Vietnamese ones are Yao's kids. I was adopted after being abandoned on his step, and that Thai guy only visits once a year. He lives somewhere else… I think I have a grandfather somewhere in Mongolia…"

*****

Gilbert reached the gate and poked Francois in the side.

"Gilbert, old boy, what _have_ you been doing?" asked Antonio as the German plopped himself in between the two.

He stretched his neck and explained, "I took my baby brother back to Germany, for a little while, to see papa. He hasn't been to well, so we wanted to see him before anything happened. By the way: Francois, is that YOUR kid in there?"

The Frenchman shook his head and smiled. "I adopted him two years ago, from Ivan."

"Oh…" And then it dawned on the white haired German, "_OH…._ I didn't know the Russian had a kid!"

"He's very quiet—"

"And scares easily…" Francois glared at him for a moment. Gilbert swung his arms out in front and tried to explain, "I'm just saying: he backed away when I saw next to the Italian, that's all. Wait, why do you have him?"

Francois looked away. "Antonio, can you…"

"Yeah sure," answered the Spaniard, his usual cheery smile sobered. He explained to the German, basically, what Francois told him.

Gilbert's expression changed to a more, serious look, folding his arms in front of him. "You're a good man Francois; and a better one then me—"

"You're looking after your brother…"

"Still not the same."

They stayed silent for a moment. They jumped when they heard a Chinese bloke exclaimed, "Haven't seen you guy's in a while. What have you been doing, aru?"

They all just glared or stared at him. He winced and started to back away. "Right, well, I'll see you this afternoon…" Yao couldn't back away fast enough, almost tripping over people as he went.

Francois sighed and looked down. "I think I'll hanging around here until I'm sure that Matthew will be okay…"

_To be Continued…_

_Just a Note about where they are:_

_Because there are so many different ethnics in the story, I decided just to dump them all in Melbourne, since it's the most multi-cultural place I can think of. Plus, I had already used London in at least one or two of my other stories, so I figured it were time for a scenery change and return back hoe. Actually, I live in Tasmania (at the moment…), but I liked Melbourne, when I was living there._

_I'm planning on writing a Hetalia story around the Mafia events of the Melbourne Gangland Killings, that were going on when I was living there, when I finish this story ^_^_


	4. Father

One Body, Split Mind

[Matthew x Alfred x Arthur x Francois]

_Father..._

Part 4:

Matthew was inside the day care, crying as he walked through the halls. He rubbed his eyes, looking for some sort of teacher. At one point, he gave up and stopped, sobbing quietly to himself. Behind him came a soft voice, "Are you okay, little one?"

The small boy turned around to see Toris, bending down and smiling. Matthew stood up again and sobbed, "I'm sorry: I fell down, so I went to find a teacher, but I couldn't find one, so I…" _This was a lie, but Mr. Toris didn't need to know that._

The Baltic smiled gently and held out a hand. "Come on, let's go to the nurse's office then, shall we?"

Matthew nodded and took the hand. The young man led the boy down the hall, who was smiling now as well. Toris asked, "What's your name, then?"

The Canadian looked up and said, "My name is Matthew, and I came here today. Papa brought me."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Toris. Who's your papa?"

"Mr. Francois is my papa. He's so nice, and he seemed so upset that I'm here…"

"Francois? Oh yes, I know him, nice guy. You do look a like lot him: who's your mum?"

The boy's face darkened, as he looked away. Toris was about to apologise when the boy said, soberly, "Papa isn't my real papa: he adopted me two years ago. I don't like my real parents too much, they weren't very nice."

"Who are your real parents, then?"

But before the boy could explain, he quickly braced the Baltic man as they stopped at a corner. Around it was the nurse's and front offices. Standing in front of the office, talking to a young, blonde haired, breasted woman was a rather _larger_ man with blonde hair. Toris would feel the boy next to him shaking violently.

"I wish Ivan would get Eduard to pick up little Raivis. He always scares the teachers… though the children don't seem to- Matthew!" Matthew had been growling at the giant, pinning his hair up and smoothing back his curl. He had now tried to lung at the Russian, still growling. Luckily, Toris had caught him around the waist just in time.

The boy tried to pull out of the grip, shouting, "He's come to get me! He's come to get me, get him! Don't let him go! Matthew; I'll protect you, again…"

Toris was too busy trying to restrain the boy to realise what he was saying. Unfortunately, for them, Ivan and the woman turned to the commotion. Ivan grinned, looking down at the rampaging boy. _Alfred_ looked up at his father, eye twitching. "Monster…"

"Well, well; if it isn't little Matt- or is it Alfred? I could never tell…" snickered Ivan, eyeing the boy.

"You're a bastard—"

"Watch your mouth, brat! You must be Alfred with such a foul mouth…" The two glared at each other.

Ivan started towards the boy, but was stopped by a grip on his arm. "Ivan don't: he's not your responsibility anymore…"

Behind him stood Francois, gripping the arm: it looked like he was trying to stare the giant man down. Ivan smirked and seised his advances. The woman, who had seeked refuge behind the Frenchman, stepped forward and said, "Brother please, you mustn't fight in the school, especially not with a student."

Francois relinquished the arm as Ivan growled, "Yuri, do you not know who that is?" The Russian glared back at her. She shook her head as he smirking. Instead of responding, a small, shaking blonde boy appeared at his side, "Raivis, there you are. We must go now."

The boy nodded, looking down. "Yuri, I will see you some other time, yes?"

She nodded as the man and boy left. Francois ran over to Alfred, who was still in Toris's arms. Toris let go as Francois knelt down and held the boy within his arms. Alfred was still shaking with anger, fist full of the Frenchman's shirt. Francois kissed him on the head and whispered, "Matthew, it's okay, I'm here now…"

After a few second, the boy stopped shaking and a sigh was heard as he started sobbing again. Francois picked him up, cradling the boy.

Yuri sighed and said, "I'm very sorry, brother… I mean, Ivan doesn't normally come here."

"Apparently, he's baby sitting his niece Raivis at the moment. Poor Raivis, though: he's easily picked on, and often does errands for Ivan," said Toris. "Normally the boy's father, Eduard, comes to pick him up. I haven't seen them in a while, though, so I don't know what's going on…"

"It's okay…" Francois stopped moving around and was now leaning against the wall, Matthew falling asleep in his arms. "Do you mind if I take him home now? I get a little panicky when he… looses control. I promise he'll be fine tomorrow."

Toris chuckled, looking at the young boy. "Oh good, I hope to have him in my group tomorrow. But… may I ask something, if that is okay?"

"Oh, yes?"

"That boy, seemed to know Mr. Ivan—"

"He's Ivan's son." Both Toris's and Yuri's eyes widened in shock. "I adopted him two years ago—"

"But why—?"

"You know why, kid." Toris looked away: yes, he knew why, and for a similar reason…

*****

"How's the job going, brother?" asked Arthur, over the phone. He was in his office, looking over a few documents. The window behind him was ajar, with a small draft coming through.

A voice came over the phone, "Yeah, we saved this little Koala from that back burn yesterday. Small little thing, needs a home… Think we might call him Sam—"

"Why Sam?"

Arthur paused for a moment as the speaker went deaf. Then the voice spoke: "Remember _that_ Koala _David_ saved at the beginning of the year, right before the bush fires?"

"Who, David Tree? Yeah, now that I think of it; wasn't that Koala saved during the Victorian Bushfires or something?"

There was a snicker on the other end. "Na, that was during the back burning. Did help raise hopes with the people though. Poor little thing though, she got a lot of smoke in her lungs, and some second degree burns. Don't know what to do with this Koala though, that I have now… He's too damaged to be out of his own at this early stage. You want him?"

"I didn't think you were allowed to keep them as pets…" Arthur laughed at the thought, but then stopped. "Well, I know someone who could do with a pet…"

There was a pause. "It's not one of your patients, is it?"

"I promise, this person _will_ take good care of him. He's a very gentle person… he could really use a friend, right now anyway."

There was a groan and then a sigh. The Englishman could here scratching and then a voice, "Well… bring him over here then; I want to check for myself. I don't trust you, brother."

Arthur gave him a hardy laugh and finished, "Yes, well: I'll see you at the RSPCA tomorrow, then, after three, okay?"

The man over the phone grunted and finished, "Okay then…" and hung up.

Arthur gave the phone a dirty look before putting it down. "Bastard couldn't even say goodbye…"

*****

Matthew and Francois were outside the day care, waiting near the entrance. Matthew had a much better day, having no episodes at all. He even met a new friend called Fidel, who was from Cuba.

The boy was in his papa's arms, tired from the unusually active day he had. He wasn't use to being around so many kids, or playing for so long. But he did seem to enjoy himself, so Francois decided to keep him in day care. This was good, since the Frenchman was able to find a job again: a chef at Antonio's Place.

Matthew looked up as Arthur walked towards them. He stopped in front of them, the boy asking, "Hello Mr. Arthur, what are doing here? Did I do something bad again—?"

"No, no, Matthew, I want to take you and your papa to go see someone."

"Who?"

Arthur chuckled and scratched his cheek. "Just… an important person to me, okay?"

Matthew nodded.

_To be Continued…_

_Author Note:_

_Some things to clarify up here: I gave Ukraine the name Yuri for two reasons. First, Yuri is a commonly used female name in Japan, and a male name in Russia; so I made a compromise. Second, I just like the name. There's third… but that reasons isn't for here…_

_Second, it may not seem important, but that Koala _is_ important. Look up the words 'Bear' and 'Reign/Son' in Japanese and you'll know why. Or just wait until the next chapter. Type in the words 'Sam' and 'Victorian Bushfires' and click on the second option to find up more info on the Sam the Koala thing. I thought I'd put it in there for some, cultural look at Australia this year…_

_Lastly, sorry for the wait: it was a looooong week…_


	5. Dearest Brother

One Body, Split Mind

[Matthew x Alfred x Arthur x Francois]

_My dearest, my darling brother…_

Part 5:

"Where are we going?" asked Matthew as he sat in the back seat with Francois.

The Frenchman was sitting in the centre seat at the back, holding Matthew close to him, who was to the left. Arthur was up front, driving the car. The Englishman chuckled, never taking his eyes off the road, "Don't you worry: I know where I'm going…"

Francois just sat their, watching Arthur intently. After fifteen or twenty minutes, they drove into a dull looking building in Fairfield. Arthur parked the car and un-buckled his seat, turning back and said, "Alright, get out and let _me_ do the talking, okay?"

Francois nodded and helped Matthew out of the car.

They went into the building and into a white, yet rather drab, front desk. Arthur asked something to the clerk, who pointed down the hall. Arthur thanked him and turned to the other two again. "Alright, he's this way…"

Francois held Matthew's hand lightly and led him down the hall, following Arthur. The Englishman glanced behind him every so often, to make sure they were keeping up. Soon, they stopped outside a metal door, entering it. In it was a wide room, where cages, of various sizes, sat. In them were different types of animals, mostly native, but some domestic, running around, eating, or sleeping.

At the far end of the room stood the back of a young man with dirty blonde hair and a khaki uniform. Arthur walked over to him and pattered him on the shoulder. Matthew's eyes widened at the likeness of the young man to the Englishman as the man turned around: they both had green eyes and bushy eyebrows; accept the young man was slightly smaller and with light tanned skin. In his arms was a rather grumpy looking, grey-white koala. It reminded Matthew of a picture of a polar bear he had at home.

"Is this him?" asked Arthur, scratching the koala's chin.

The young man chuckled and said, in a deeper voice then his _brothers_, "Na, I wouldn't palm this critter on to any poor sod, I have enough trouble with him as it is. No, the other one's around here somewhere… Oh, hello there."

The young Australian was now looking down at Matthew. He bent down and smiled. "Hello there kid, what's your name?"

"Matthew, sir…" said the boy, shyly, giving him a nervous smile.

"Matthew, huh…. MATTHEW: Arthur!" He turned to his brother and growled, "Brother, you didn't tell me he was a KID!"

Arthur looked away, smirking, "Oh yeah, forgot about that… but he's really responsible—"

"It doesn't matter! What if they get caught by a cop, or something, they'll be coming to me for giving a minor an endangered pet—"

"Endangered?" They both looked at the boy. He's eyes lit up as he asked, "What kind of endangered animal? Can I see please? I promise I won't hurt it or anything…"

Arthur snickered as David sighed a: _"Yeah, okay, I'll bring him out. Wait here…"_

He eyed Arthur partically as he left the room. Francois smiled gently at the Englishman as he asked, "Okay Arthur, what's this about?"

The Englishman just winked, watching the door that his brother had gone through. "I'm getting Matthew a present, which will _hopefully_ help him in some way…"

"In what way?"

"You'll see…"

David came back in, another Koala in his arms next to the other. This new one was smaller with white fur. He walked over to Matthew, bent down the best he could, and handed the boy the little tree bear. "Here, don't drop him, okay?"

Matthew nodded, taking the koala happily. He ran his fingers through the short hair on its head. "Oh, thank you sir. It's so soft, like a stuffed toy."

David chuckled, "Yeah, they can be like that. Wish Sydney, here, would be soft and cuddly. When I got him, he was almost hairless, and with a crabby nature. Not sure why, just found him out at Broken Hill one day. He was a Joey, as is that one you've got, at the time and I was afraid he had fallen from his mothers' pouch, so I took him with me…"

"But I thought Joey's were baby Kangaroo's?"

David laughed as he straightened up. "It's the term used for _any_ baby marsupials, like the koala and kangaroo. Do you know _how_ to raise a Koala?"

"They eat eucalyptus leaves and live in trees." Said Matthew, holding the Koala close to him. "We have two eucalyptus trees in the back of our house."

"Yeah, just be careful with him, okay. If something happens, the authorities will be coming to _me_ for an explanation."

"Am I not allowed to keep him?"

Francois and David looked at each other before returning a smile to the boy. The Australian just said, "Well… just don't tell anyone you have him, okay?"

"Okay Mr… um—"

"_David Kirkland_," he smiled, "You can come see me with any problems you have with your koala. Do you have a name for it?"

Matthew thought for a moment before answering, "I heard these words that Honda said when he was telling a story today… um, I think it was… something to do with a bear son?"

"Oh, bear son is _Kumajiro_ in Japanese."

"Okay, then I'll call him _Kumajiro…_" Matthew smiled again.

Francois smirking, placing a hand on the boy's head and saying, "You'll take good care of him, won't you kido?"

Matthew nodded up at his father. Francois took Matthew outside to the car. Arthur went to follow them, when two arms crossed his chest. He turned his head a little to see his brother staring at him. The Australian asked, "So, isn't that the guy you kept hanging out with in high school?"

"Yup, that's Francois and little Matthew…"

There was a long pause before David asked, "Why are you doing this?"

Arthur shoved himself away, turned to his brother and said, "I'm not doing anything, why do you think that?!"

They stared at each other. Eventually, David smiled and placed his hands on the side of his brother's head and said, "It's been a while and you haven't talked to me. I'm just glad to see you, is all."

"I know…" David moved forward and kissed his brother on the cheek.

Arthur ruffled the Australian's hair and left. David went to pick up his koala and looked back at the door where the three had left through. _Brother, don't do anything stupid…_

*****

Arthur smashed his lips against Francois's.

It had been two days since the event with the koala, and the Frenchman decided to visit Arthur, to see how much progress Matthew had made. Arthur was unusually happy to see Francois, even though they were on good terms these days. He had practically pushed Francois into the door as soon as he entered.

Arthur breathed in between kisses. "So… how's- how's Matthew, been… God, at- um, school?"

The Frenchman wrapped his arms around the other man's waist and moaned, "He's, fine… He seems to, uh, like that koala- you gave him… Calm down—"

The Englishman was, impatiently, trying to get Francois's pants down. The Frenchman moved a hand behind him and locked the door before assisting Arthur out of his shirt. Francois held Arthur's head in his hands and sighed, "I want to know about Matthew. Has he been doing fine?"

Arthur replied, "I just need him to be a little more open to me…" He pushed there lips together, again, between sentences, "Matthew still seems very… reserved, you know. I think Alfred might be getting in the way a little."

"What are you going to do then?"

There was a pause as Arthur ventured into Francois's mouth. His tongue lashed the other man's before moving away and answering, "Nothing, there's nothing I can do at the moment. And I can't give him medication unless I seem Alfred as a _real_, mental, threat to Matthew…"

_To be Continued…_

_Author Note:_

_I think I might skip into the future with the next chapter. I had more of a weird, relationship type of thing going on in my head when planning this, and I need Matthew as an adult, or at least a mature teenager. Do you want me to skip to the future, or stay with child Matthew for another chapter or two?_

_Okay, just to make it clear, David is Australia! I never really like Steven Erwin much, I think American's like him more then Australian's do. So that's why I called him David and NOT _f****** Steve!_ There's also a _reason_ why I called him David, but it has to do with over hearing some Melbournian chick in my Art class being racist, so I won't go into it…_

_And I'm well aware that people aren't actually _ALLOWED _to keep koala's, but I didn't know what else to think off, since Matthew needs a bear and Polar Bears aren't native to Australia, or ANYWHERE in the Southern Hemisphere. Back to the koala thing, I figured the loop hole, where wild life people (such as the RSPCA) _can_ keep native animals, might be sufficient enough to stop people asking. Plus koala's live up to 16 years, so Kumajiro _should _live long enough for the story :P_


	6. Then I was

One Body, Split Mind

[Matthew x Alfred x Arthur x Francois]

_I thought, there for I was…_

Part 6:

"So you don't have any relatives, sir. Do you get lonely?"

Arthur looked at the boy on the seat. Friday had come again and now Matthew was sitting on the long seat once more. He had interest in his eyes, this time. Arthur smiled, explaining, "I have relatives here: I was young when the family moved to Australia, from England—"

"Your whole family?"

"For a short period of time… Our parents died not long after my little brother, David, was born. Car crash I think; I can't remember too well since I was still young. I have three older brothers: William ran off to Western Australia five years ago, I haven't talk to him since… Patrick's up in Queensland with his son, Sean. And Aeon is in New South Wales; he's the only one who seems to talk to me these days, though we haven't seen each other in ages…"

"It must be lonely."

Arthur suppressed a laugh, looking away from the boy. "I have my brother David, that's all I need. I don't care much for people myself…" He looked over at the boy, who seemed quite intrigued. He thought back to the book, _Equus,_ and decided to stop there. He cleared his throat and said, "This isn't about me: I want you to tell me how you're going with your episodes, Matthew."

Matthew flinched and muttered, "I haven't had an episode…"

"Matthew, you need to tell me the truth if you want me to help you—"

"But I am… I can't… I don't want to—"

"Why?!"

"Because I'm his only friend… you POM!"

Arthur's eye twitched: he looked over to see Alfred sitting on the chair, legs crossed, as well as his arms over his chest. A smirked appeared across his face as he snickered, "Wassup old man?!"

Arthur couldn't believe how quickly the boy changed: he didn't even pinned up his hair this time. The Englishman was afraid he may have triggered something within Matthew; he knew that Matthew changed when pushed, but this was different.

He examined the boy and asked, "Alfred, what's wrong?"

The boy bit his lip, shaking. "Shut-up old man, why should I talk to you, you bastard!"

"Alfred, that's not nice—"

"Shut-up!" Alfred was on his feet, as was Arthur.

"Alfred, please sit down—"

"How dare you!" Alfred began to leave and then stopped, turned around and yelled, "Who do you think you are, bastard!"

"Alfred!"

He went to grab the boy, who threw a punch, only to be caught by Arthur. "He needs me more then you, so don't even—"

He tried to kick, but his feet were too far away from Arthur. The Englishman looked at him; the boy's eyes were starting to sparkle with tears. "Are you afraid that I'm going to hurt him—"

"Just like everyone else!"

"But…" Began Arthur, loosening his grip on the shaking boy, "Francois never hurt him. He loves Matthew, why are you trying to take that away?"

"What would you know?!" The boy collapsed onto the ground. "He may like Matthew at first, but he'll turn: like the rest of them…"

Arthur released the boy. _I have a long way to go, I can tell…_

*****

_Eight years have passed…_

Matthew tossed in the bed again, though not as violently as when he was younger. His hand clenched his shoulder-long hair and began to pull it violently, trying to shock himself awake.

He was in his old house, all the lights out. He was shaking in fear, taking a steady step back as the large figure in front of him staggered forward. Matthew began to shake even more, surprised that he hadn't collapsed yet, as the person spoke, "Come here, little boy…"

"P- plea… s… I- I- I can't… don't… 'm not, sma—"

"You're shaking… boy!"

Matthew screeched as the figure lunged at him. The man pushed him into the wall, the obvious scent of vodka passed through his lips as he said, "You're still my little boy…"

As his face drew closer, Matthew heard a thump, and the figure staggered to the side, yelling in pain. Out stepped another figured behind it, and to the side of Matthew. It was holding something large in its hand. The figure yelled, "Stay away, Ivan!"

A cold shrill of a laugh appeared around them as the larger figure began to mould into the darkness. "As soon as you disappear, _I'LL_ be there to take Matthew away, you rotten—" But he disappeared before he could finish his sentence.

Two arms moved themselves around Matthew, drawing him closer to this new form.

"Matthew…" Alfred whispered into his ear, seductively. He began, lightly, kissing Matthew's ear, and then moved down the jaw line, to come to a stop at the chin.

The Canadian shoved him away, clutching his chest. "You were suppose… to help me, Al…"

"My dear Matthew—"

"Don't come any closer!" Matthew said this as fast as he could, to stop himself from stuttering. Alfred stopped, arms out stretched towards the shivering man. Matthew swallowed and collapsed onto the ground. "You're suppose to be my friend…"

"Matthew…" Alfred bent down, hands clutching at the Canadian's arms now. He moved in close, so that their noses were almost touching, as he said, "_I_ am your only friend. And _I'm_ the only one who cares about you…"

Everything went dark, he couldn't see anything. All of a sudden, he heard himself whisper: "_Francois…_"

He woke-up to the daylight filtering into his room through the curtains. He hoisted himself up, rubbing the tears from his eyes. He heard the door open, since it was hard to see due to his myopia. The bed dipped down and Francois asked, "Matthew, are you okay?"

The Canadian retrieved his _new_ red glasses from the bed-side table and looked at the concerned look on his _father's_ face. He breathed in, trying to keep in his tears. "I'm fine… se- serious- n, ly…"

The Frenchman moved a tear drop from the young man's face before drawing him into a tight hug. "What happened?"

Matthew began to bowel, snivelling into Francois's chest. "It was Alfred, this time… I couldn't- he, he… Francois, I lo—"

"Matthew?"

"I love you!" The young man blurted out.

He looked up at Francois, who smiled. "I know, and I love you too—"

"No!" Francois's eye's widened in shock, scared of what he might hear. "I mean, I'm in—"

There was a knock at the door. Francois kissed the shivering boy on the forehead, told him, "I'll be back in a minute, please get dress okay. I love you." And went to see who was at the door. Matthew could hear the voices of Francois and Gilbert at the front door.

"Is Mattie ready to leave?" asked the German.

Francois chuckled and said, "You're a bit early, aren't you—"

"Oh yeah! Let's see YOU try to deal with that bloody Italian drying to kill _your_ little brother! He was driving me around the bend! I just HAD to stop… so is Matt ready?"

Matthew hurried down and stopped at the front door, fully dressed. He asked, politely, "Why don't you and the boy's come in then. I haven't had breakfast, yet, you see. I can make pancakes for everyone."

Gilbert thought for a moment and then said, with a smirk, "Okay, but next time, don't sleep in, okay boy?"

Gilbert returned to the car, trying to herd the boy's out. As he did, Francois gave Matthew a peck on the cheek and asked, "Will you be okay at school?"

Matthew giggled, "I'll be okay: Alfred doesn't bug me in the day anymore."

Francois only nodded. "If you're sure…"

_To be Continued…_

_Author Note:_

_Yup, I've done it: within one dream sequence, I have skipped eight year's into the future. Sorry, I got bored so I decided to quicken the pace a bit. Man, poor Mattie: his dreams get even worse when he's older! Anyway: hope the change wasn't too great, I would've been on a blank otherwise… And NO, Alfred isn't that bad, his over-protective nature has just become, a little… corrupt._

_Sorry, the next chapter may take a little longer to do since I'm doing two other meme's and now that I'm back at school (For some reason, I think it might have been Swine Flu last week…) I'll have to start catching up in Maths, so yeah…_


	7. Oedipus

One Body, Split Mind

[Matthew x Alfred x Arthur x Francois]

_Oedipus?_

Part 7:

"You got new glasses- I like them. You had blue last time, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but I like Red better…"

"Blue suits you… Did Alfred choose the other ones?"

"Yeah, just like always, I suppose…" sighed Matthew, sitting at the long chair again.

Arthur wrote something down, thinking. He snapped out his train of thought and looked back at the youth, asking, "You don't like blue? How come: Alfred and Francois do, don't they?"

Matthew looked out the window with a pout. "I don't know, I just don't. I like Maple Leafs and hockey more then Alfred."

"So you want to be different from him?"

"What's your favourite colour, Mr. Kirkland, sir?"

Arthur chuckled, twirling his pen around in his fingers. "David and I like green; I don't know why, we just do. I like the colour red too, actually: red and white are the colour's for England…"

All of a sudden, Matthew threw himself at Arthur, pinning his hands back. When the Englishman looked up, he suddenly noticed that the boy's hair was pinned back. He saw the face above him pout. "What are you doing, Alfred? I was talking to Matthew!"

The young man grinned, "Why are you asking him about his favourite colour, old man?"

Arthur still hadn't gotten over the whole 'old man' routine of the boy's, but he had long let it go. He looked away and said, "I was looking at his new glasses: the one's he chose."

Alfred pouted again, sitting on the psychologist. Arthur grunted, a little pissed off at the sudden wait on his legs. He groaned, "Could- could you, get off… you're heavy!"

The American sighed and got off, placing himself back onto his chair. He took the clips out of his hair. Arthur watched as the boy placed his face into his hands, his locks falling over them. Matthew looked up and apologised, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for him to do that…"

Arthur sighed, waving it off. "Don't worry, he tends to do that… a lot. He's becoming quite clinging lately, but he hasn't done anything troublesome."

Matthew chewed his bottom lip nervously. He looked towards the door, eyeing the Englishman every so often. Arthur cocked an eyebrow and asked, "Waiting to leave?"

The Canadian gasped, throwing himself back on the chair. He shook his head violently and said, "Wha! No- no, of cause, no! I just wanna… NO, I'm wondering: the time, yeah, you know, time! Not back with Fran—"

Arthur's mouth broke into a smile as he nodded, "Right, the time, yes… But what was that about Francois?"

"Nothing! Honest!"

Sweat seeped down Matthew's brow as he confessed, "I'm sorry, I just want to see him…"

"You live with him though. It's hard to see him anymore then you already do…"

"It's just…"Matthew swallowed.

It then hit him what Matthew was so nervous about. Arthur bit his thumb and asked cautiously, "Have you ever heard of the Oedipus Complex, Matthew?"

The young man shook his head.

"It's the mental state where a child, such as a son, becomes infatuated with his or her mother, or father. You know what I'm saying?"

Matthew blushed, biting his bottom lip, shaking. "N- no, I'm not in-love, I don't like him, like, that…"

"With how your life is, people who have been abused at a young age tend to create un-nat… usual attachments to other objects or people. Francois is the closest you've ever gotten to anyone, so it's only natural that you'd feel, un-usually, close to him. Do you understand?"

"Hmm, I guess… um?"

"Is there something else you want to talk to me about?"

Matthew wondered for a moment. There was a small voice at the back of his mind – he was hoping it wasn't Alfred – whispering to him to tell Arthur, but he sighed it off and shook his head. "No, I'm okay for now."

Arthur cocked an eyebrow, watching the boy, who was still eyeing the door.

As soon as the hour hand hit two, the boy was off, flinging the door open and falling into Francois's open arms. The Frenchman asked, "Arthur wasn't being mean to you, was he?"

Matthew shook his head and smiled, "No, it was just a long hour."

Francois chuckled, holding him close as Arthur stepped out. The older man chuckled, "You haven't been mean to my dear son, have you Arthur?"

The Englishman shook his head, "You know that I wouldn't do anything to hurt him."

"It's nice seeing you again, Arthur."

"You too Francois…"

When the two got into the car, Francois looked over at Matthew, who was staring dreamily out the window, a sober expression across his face. The Frenchman sighed and asked, "What's wrong?"

The teenager looked at him, with a frown. "I don't know: there's something… maybe I should've mentioned it."

Francois pulled out of the car park and asked, without looking at the boy, "Is it about Alfred?"

"Not really, I think."

The Frenchman took a glance at the boy and smiled, "Don't worry about it then. Will you tell _me_ about it?"

Matthew chuckled, looking over at his _father_. "I think it's just a passing thing."

"Oh really: well you're not getting out of this that easily. You're telling me about it when we get home, or do I have to tickle you?"

"I'm not ten years old anymore."

"I know," Francois turned to him, as they stopped at the traffic lights. "And I missed your youth. Remember, I only got you when you were eight so I didn't get to raise you the way I wanted…"

"You don't like me—"

Francois bent over and gave the boy a kiss on the head, saying softly, "Ironically enough, I wouldn't have raised you any better."

Matthew smiled, resting his head on his father's shoulder as the light turned green.

_To be Continued…_

_Author Note:_

_Sorry for the delay, I'm getting to the point where I'm either loosing my motivation, homework's finally getting to me, or I'm running out of ideas. At the moment, it's pretty much all three._

_I kind of have an idea of where to go, I'm planning to show Matthew interacting at school with the next chapter. But I would appreciate a bit of help with ideas. Matthew and Alfred are still going to have a thing for Arthur and Francois (man that makes me sound perverted) but other ideas, even if there side-story type things, WOULD help._

_Sorry for the shortness of this chapter: when I run out of inspiration, I tend to turn to dialogue for help. Normally it helps, and I'm hoping it will pull me through again!_

_The next chapter might be late because of homework. Expect it in a week or two… if I'm lucky -_-_


	8. Stand Tall

One Body, Split Mind

[Matthew x Alfred x Arthur x Francois]

_Stand Tall_

Part 8:

Alfred held his leg back, stretching. To his right was Ludwig, who had grown to be slightly taller then him. To his left was Lovino, smaller, stretching out his leg as well. Despite the difference in size, all three of them were very athletic and equally matched (even Lovino, who spent most of the last few years trying to show them up).

Feliciano and Kiku, however, weren't as athletic or ego-pron. The Italian was next to his brother, looking a little distressed at the track ahead. Kiku was on the other side of Ludwig: despite how fit he actually was, he seemed to prefer watching others, or studying.

Their gym teacher raised his arm and yelled, "On your marks!"

Alfred hunched over. "Get set!"

The adrenaline rushing in his ears as he waited for the signal.

"GO!"

And they were off!

Ludwig and Alfred were neck to neck, with the Southern Italian slightly ahead of them. If one were to look back, they would have seen Feliciano struggling to make ten metres. Kiku seemed to be jogging, watching his fellow Italian friend straggling behind.

After the first hundred metres, the American and German were now steaming ahead, still neck to neck. Not to be beaten, Lovino bit his bottom lip and pushed a little harder. The younger Italian and the Japanese boy gave in at a hundred metres, wobbling over to the rest of the class.

"Matthew is doing well, isn't he?" commented Kiku, sitting next to the Italian.

Feliciano nodded, watching the three go at it. "Lovino really has been training hard; he's already up to them both, and their taller."

Everyone held their breath as the three were only fifty (the track's four hundred metres long) metres away. They were so close now; even the sun seemed to be shying away behind the clouds in anticipation. Grinning, Alfred took a step over the line and slowed down, as did Lovino and Ludwig.

Catching their breaths, the rest of the crowd breathed again and then turned their attention to the teacher. He smirked and yelled out, "Third: Lovino!"

The Italian scoffed at the ground before his legs gave way.

"Second is Ludwig!"

The German smiled and went over to Alfred, offering his hand.

"Which mean's first place is Matthew; good job boys!"

The American smirked, taking the German's hand and shaking it.

The three went over to Kiku and Feliciano, taking a breather before the next event. Alfred ducked his head, taking the clips out of his hair. Kiku smiled and asked, "You did well, Matthew, how are feeling?"

The Canadian smiled. "You know it wasn't me. I don't mind it when Al takes over, but I wish he wouldn't leave me with the pains. He pushes too hard…"

"Poor little Matthew," Kiku stopped and looked over at the others: Feliciano was trying to hold his brother back from attacking a tired Ludwig, who was back off. He got closer to the Canadian and asked, "How have your _fits_ been lately?"

Keeping his voice low, Matthew said, "There a lot more controllable then when I was younger: but Alfred's still a pain. It's worse during PE, though."

"He does seem to like physical activity, doesn't he?"

They watched the next group of teens get up. Kiku smiled and pointed out, "Look, Hercules is up there. Good luck mate!"

The Greek turned and gave him a dreamy smiled before bracing himself for the race. There was a spare spot in the line up. Matthew looked around and then spotted Raivis; the poor boy was sitting behind the teacher, arm in a sling. The Canadian bit his bottom lip: Raivis didn't talk much about himself, but Matthew could guess that his cousin had gotten it from Ivan.

*****

Matthew stepped into the backyard and strolled over to the two eucalyptus trees. He grabbed onto one of the branches and hulled himself up, trying to move his way up one of them. He stopped at a thick branch across from Kumajiro, who was chewing on a leaf. Matthew chuckled, running a hand, softly, down the koala's back.

Kumajiro was always a surprisingly friendly koala; most probably because he was too lazy to fight to begin with. Over the ten years, he had become a rather plump thing, only coming down when it started to rain. When Francois was out, Matthew would climb up and see the – not so little – tree bear.

He watched the bear for a little while before flinching: the back door was open. Risking a peak through the leaves, he watched as Francois stalked over to him. Staring down, Matthew saw has his papa stopped at the base of the tree and looked back up at him.

"Alfred, get down now!"

"I'm not Al!"

Francois froze. In the most soothing voice he could muster, the Frenchman yelled again, "I'm sorry Matt; please come down, you'll get hurt!"

Sighing, Matthew started down, making sure to check each branch's strength as he stepped down. Francois had his arms out as though he was about to catch the young man. On the second last branch, he sat there and smiled. "Sure you can catch me? I'm not light anymore."

"I think I can still handle you."

As Matthew was about to jump down, he heard a creak and flinched: after all this time, and it was NOW that the branch had to break. Sweat beading down, he tried to settle himself down slowly, only for it to give way, causing him to fall. Francois yelled out his name and caught him in his arms, throwing him onto his back. Gasping, the Canadian sat up and asked in a panic, "Oh God, I'm SO sorry! Are you okay, papa?"

Rubbing the back of his head, Francois sat up, letting his son straddle him. "I'm okay, just got the wind knocked out of me. What about you?"

"I'm- okay; I just wanted to go up and talked to Kumajiro while you were gone. I'm really sorry—"

"I know, you were lonely, right? But I don't want you hurting yourself, you know how I worry." Kissed the young man on the forehead and smiled softly. "Don't want you getting hurt before the races next Tuesday?"

Matthew giggled, moving to get off. He was stopped as Francois arms moved their way around his waist, stilling his movements. He looked down at his father, who had a sober, yet smiling, expression upon his face. "Matthew, you have to promise me not to go up there. We'll cut the branches that are too high so that Kumajiro doesn't climb up too far, or something. Matthew!"

"We can't do something like that—"

"Well, we'll have to think of something, but I don't want you climbing up- are you okay?"

He moved his son off and to the side. He looked down at the boy's leg. "You scraped your knee when you fell."

Matthew winced as Francois shadowed a finger over the bleeding cut. Taking in a breath, Francois bent down and did something that made the poor boy flush bright red: the Frenchman licked the wound, cleaning it of access blood. When he looked up, he couldn't help but laugh at Matthew's deeply red blush. "I was only cleaning it: it would get infected otherwise."

"We have detole in side, you know!"

"Yes, but this is more fun." Francois looked at his startled expression before sighing. "And you have a cute blush, now let's go inside; Kumajiro will be fine on his own. Do you need a hand?"

Matthew thought for a moment before nodding, taking a hand offered to him. They moved towards the house, arm under shoulders. Matthew wasn't sure what he was going to do now, but he knew one thing: he had to see if Raivis was okay.

_To be Continued…_

_Author Note:_

_Okay, here's my explanation for those who've read chapter 2 notes and want some answers (and those who want to know why this is suddenly a T rating). It is because I decided to dumb down the rating a bit: I was originally going to make the story a little adult, but it didn't really fit in with the theme's of the story, so I changed the sex scene in chapter to so that it was a little less… raunchy. Anyway, so yeah._

_And yes, I just reliesed that I mentioned that Eduard is Ivan's _brother,_ and that Raivis was his son, making him Matthew's cousin. So I've decided to add him in the next chapter, to show the whole family bonding and issue's thing._

_And no, Francois isn't hitting on Matthew. Even though he's a sleaze, he still cares for Matthew a lot, he's just picking on the poor boy._

_And one more thing: I'll be mentioning what the Melbourne Cup is in another chapter or two, depending on the story goes, you don't have to worry about asking. If you _must_ know before then, review me and I'll message you. Wikipedia has info on it too. You know that I'm desperate when I have to add in outside events into the story! I did that once before!_

_Sorry for the wait._


	9. Family Reunion

One Body, Split Mind

[Matthew x Alfred x Arthur x Francois]

_Family Reunion_

Part 9:

Matthew bit his bottom lip, walking up towards the old style house. It was broad, with a black tiled roof and blood red walls along the outside. The – very – dark curtains where closed, even at this time of day. Upon the front door was a gold, old fashioned knocker. His memories of this house where still a little vague, and he had hoped to never come here again.

Shaking, he reached for the knocker and beat it three times, echoing the hollowness of the wood. He waited there for a little while. He didn't want to, but he raised his hand again and banged three times once more. After another few moments, the sound of someone staggering towards the door was heard, followed by someone un-locking various locks.

The door creaked open, and the face of his father appeared, looking confused. Ivan suppressed a smile and asked, "Hello Matthew, I haven't seen you in ages: why are you here?"

Matthew, trying to control his shivering, looked to the side of his father and asked, "I was, wondering… could I- see- Raivis please?"

Ivan looked down at him, causing the boy to bite his bottom lip again. Matthew wasn't sure if it was a stare or a glare. Ivan, opening the door a bit more, cocked an eyebrow and asked curiously, "Why would you want to see him? You are not friends or anything."

_Asshole,_ thought Matthew, but kept it to himself when he said, "I- I just want to see, if he's… you know, okay. I saw his arm the other day you see—"

"Matthew, always considerate," smiled Ivan, "You may see him. He is at the back, on the swing…"

Matthew gave him a nervous smile as he squeezed passed his father, trying to give them as much girth as possible. Ivan returned to the living room near by. The Canadian youth walked through the house: the place hadn't changed much since he was there last: it was still a dark, drab place as always.

He stepped out of the house and out the back, where he saw Raivis sitting in the grass, having a tea party on a red and white checker blanket. Around the boy were all sorts of soft toys; four different types of bears, a couple of soft dogs, some barn yard animals like pigs, and even a blonde doll, sitting next to him.

Raivis smiled as he saw his cousin coming over. "Matthew, you're here."

The Canadian smiled, sitting next to Raivis. His expression sobering as he asked, "Why are you having a tea party, out here?"

"It was a nice day."

"No, I mean…" Raivis looked at him with concern. "Why are you having a _tea party?!_"

The Baltic white-blonde looked down and started to twiddle his thumb: the cast had come off, to be replaced by a bandage covering the bottom half of his arm. He explained, looking around first, "I got hungry, and this seemed like the safest place to eat, since uncle doesn't like going outside much."

"Why is it a tea party?"

"So that _they_ don't get suspicious on what I'm doing…"

They just sat there for a moment, as a slight breeze moved against their skin and rest. Matthew smiled and asked, "Are you going to the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday? We get the day off…"

Raivis shook his head, looking a little nervous and sad at the same time. "No…"

"Don't you want to go?"

Raivis shook before saying, "I do… just…"

"Francois and I can take you."

Matthew smiled as Raivis's face lit up. "Really?" The Canadian nodded. "Well, how am I going to get out of the house?"

Matthew stopped and thought for a minute. He hadn't thought of that. "Well, either you sneak out of the house, or we can think of an excuse…"

"Wait, I think… Come to think of it, I don't think he remembers it's a holiday for school students on Tuesday…"

Matthew looked at him and smiled. "So we can just say you went to school?"

"Yeah…"

"Raivis…" The young Baltic looked up curiously. "How long will you have _that_ on?"

Raivis thought for a moment, eye twitching at his broken arm. "I don't know… maybe, another week possibly. But, can I ask _you_ something, please?"

Matthew nodded. "Well, how come _you're _here? Did Mr. Francois let you come?"

The Canadian froze: no, Francois didn't like him here. The man was scared for his adopted son's safety. But Matthew simply smiled and said, "Don't worry about me; we just have to worry about you getting out of this house on Tuesday. Okay?"

Raivis smiled and nodded his head. Before Matthew could get up to leave, the young Baltic asked, "Um, after the races, can I come over to your house. I want to see Kumajiro… Please?"

His smile was so cute, Matthew could only nod.

"Raivis, are you out here?"

The two turned around to see Eduard coming towards them. He smiled as the Canadian stood up to greeted him. "Ah, Matthew, it's nice to see you well."

Matthew nodded. "Hello Uncle, how have you been, since... you know…"

Eduard chuckled, slowly taking a seat next his son. "Another week or two and I should be alright. As much as a pain he is, I'm glad Ivan can look after the two of us while I'm recovering. It's been hard, but… hey wait, what are you doing here?"

"I came to see Raivis."

"You were allowed?"

Matthew, once again, stayed silent and merely smiled, taking his leave.

*****

Before he could touch the nob, Francois swung open the front door to scold at his son. "Matthew, where've you been?"

The Canadian rubbed the back of his neck and smiled nervously. He might as well tell him. "I'm sorry, papa: I wanted to see if my cousin was okay. He's got an arm in a sling, and I wanted to know if it was serious."

Francois sighed, letting the boy in. "That means you went to your father's." Matthew nodded. "You know I don't want you over there, it's not safe. Did you see Ivan?"

Matthew nodded again, stepping into the lounge room. He slumped onto the couch and explained, "He didn't do anything though—"

"He could've, when he's drunk, and that's the point—"

"I think he _was_ drunk, and he _still_ didn't do anything!"

Despite the electricity between them, Matthew's face softened and he threw himself into Francois's arms, his own wrapping around his father's neck. He bit his bottom lip, trying to suppress a sob as he blurted out, "Papa, I know, I love you… Please, I'll be okay, I know what I'm doing now…"

Francois sighed, wrapping his arms around Matthew's waist. "I know, and I trust you…"

_To be Continued…_

_Author Note:_

_Damn, another short chapter. I got half way through this and then stopped._

_Just thought I'd tell you that the next chapter won't be out for a little while. I'll have exams coming up soon, and a project (or two) to finish, so yeah… I'm kind of hoping to get it out by the 3__rd__ of November, but it might be a bit of a stretch, since I want another fic by the 5__th__. _

_Now to explain properly: The next chapter is going to be the Melbourne Cup. For those of you who aren't Australia, the Mel. Cup is a popular horse racing event here and occurs every year on the first Tuesday of November. Lols, we had a few problems a few years ago, where all the Australian horse fell ill, so they had to bring in foreign ones to race. Yeah, anyway… So those students and certain businesses, within the Melbourne City area, get the day off because of it ^_^ _

_And I'm thinking of reviewing over this when I'm done: the story was originally going to be an adult fic centring around Matthew's feelings for Francois and Arthur, but it's become a little more… low key, so yeah…_

_As for Ivan: I'm not really into these drama stories (even though this is kind of one) where you have a really over the top story lines and characters, so I've made Ivan's character not as scary as he seems to be. So here it is: Matthew and Raivis are only intimidated by their father and uncle, who haven't actually touched a hair on them. And the only reason why Francois (and many others) see him as a threat is because he's an alcoholic [and he picks fights at work] and really nothing else. It's Natalia we should be worried about :P_

_Anyway, I'll be summing up the story in a three or four more chapters: I was going to make it long winded and over dramatic, but I just haven't got time these days, you know._

_Anyway, thanks for waiting…_


	10. Melbourne Cup

One Body, Split Mind

[Matthew x Alfred x Arthur x Francois]

_Melbourne Cup_

Part 10:

Alfred held the Canadian close to him, as the room got darker around them. Matthew's small, four-year-old hands clutched onto Alfred's as noises from a rather _large_ object started through the house. He tried to remain quiet, as small steps rushed towards his room.

"Cousin?" He could hear Raivis stutter. "Cousin…?"

Alfred held him tight, whispering for him to keep quiet.

THUMP! There was silence.

After a moment, the door creaks open, and the shadow of another small boy steps through. "Cousin?" asked Raivis.

Matthew pushed Alfred into the wall behind and ran over to his cousin, throwing his arms around him. He was shaking so fiercely that it was hard to keep the grip. The poor boy didn't stop, no matter how much Matthew tried to comfort him.

THUMP! They froze.

Matthew threw Raivis further into the room and went over to close and lock the door.

THUMP!!!

"Matthew?" The Canadian froze as the voice drifted into the room through the crack in the door.

"Matthew," it continued. Matthew tripped over Raivis, who had fallen onto the floor before.

"Matthew!"

Matthew woke-up: it was daylight and Francois was hovering over his bed, a gentle on his fore head. The Frenchman asked, "Another nightmare?"

"Ah, kind of: let's just get ready and go…"

After twenty minutes, they were in the car and off they went. Francois stopped a few houses from Ivan's, watching his son cautiously as Matthew practically _jogged_ up to the house. Raivis's face could be seen from a second story-floor. The boy raised a finger to his mouth, raised a hand then disappeared. Matthew waited at the end of the drive way for his cousin.

After a moment, the boy crept out of the house and down the street with Matthew, where they were picked up by Francois. "How are you, Raivis?"

The boy shook, but smiled and responded, "Could be better, but I'm okay."

They arrived at Flemington Racetracki, with large numbers of colourful people, in all sorts of dress, filing and pushing in. The three had also worn something fancy for the day. Francois had donned a pure black suit with a black shirt underneath. A pair of red sunglasses shaded his eyes from the summer sun.ii

Matthew and Raivis, too, wore suits: Matthew's was a plain, dark blue with a white shirt underneath, while the Baltic's was a maroon red with a blue top under.

They waited next to Francois, who was waiting for someone else, apparently. Matthew chuckled, taking his black Fedora off and placing it on Raivis's head. "To protect you from the sun."

The boy laughed, looking up at it. "Cool, thanks Matthew; I'll return when this is all over."

After a moment, a tall, tanned man in a maroon suit, with a black shirt, appeared. He smiled at Francois and handed him three tickets, "Been a while, friend. How's the baby sitting?"

"Yeah, funny Sadiq: thanks for getting the tickets for us. Would've killed me otherwise."iii

"That's fine; I owe you one after the _event_ with Ariiv. God the Greek's a real brat. Okay: I might've wanted to buy his story for less then its worth, but that's all I thought it WAS worth. Going to have a bet?"

"Yeah," Francois chuckled, looking at the boys, "What do you recommend?"

Matthew was about to walk off towards the fence, to see the tracks, but was stopped by a hand to his collar. Francois pulled him back, effortlessly, and said, "Don't wonder off, I want to be able to see you."

When they were done, they entered Flemington Racecourse. Raivis immediately grabbed Matthew's hand, afraid of getting lost. "There's a lot of people here, isn't there?"

"Yeah…" Raivis looked up to see Matthew pinning back his hair. When the Canadian was done, he winked at his cousin and said, "Ganna have a good time, right?"

Raivis nodded and smiled. "Right."

Alfred went over and plopped his head onto Francois's shoulder, who was reading a broacher. His eye twitched when he felt the weight upon his shoulder and neck. "Alfred, I know that's you."

"Who are you going to bet on?"

"I don't know, who do you think?"

Alfred smiled and pointed at a Queenslander horse on the Cup Race. "Mourilyanv on 13 looks good, father."

"You think? Not that great odds—"

"Come on- live a little."

Francois looks at his son, then down at the paper and smiles. "Alright, I trust you."

Alfred and Raivis went over to the barrier to watch the horse's race, as Francois went to bet. As he did, he noticed two sets of familiar, shaggy blonde hair. One that was sleeked back slightly, the other resembled somewhat of a pirate. He smirked and called out, "Arthur, David: didn't expect you's here."

The two Brit's turned to the noise. Arthur's eyebrow twitched, but he went over to Francois none the less. Following close behind him was David, who seemed to have a toy Koala within his arms. Arthur asked, "Here to make a bet, eh? Is Matthew here?"

The Frenchman nodded. "Yeah, with his cousin Raivis—"

"The one you said lives with _you know?"_ The Brit was quiet with the last two words, barely vocal.

Francois nodded.

When they were done, they headed for the railings, where the boys where spotted. On the way, David asked, "So, who's you going for? Arthur won't tell me who's his." He shoots a glare at his brother, who looked away with a smirk.

Francois grips the ticket in his hands and says, "Alfred told me to go for Mourilyan—"

"Alfred?" Arthur looked at him with concern.

"Yup…" The Frenchman sighs as they reached the two boys.

Alfred wraps his arm around his father's neck and asks, "Did you get it."

Francois holds the ticket up and nods. Behind them, Arthur looks on intently, thinking: _Didn't think he was this close to the boy, to listen to him in these sorts of things. Maybe he's getting too close to Alfred…_

Raivis cheered as another group of horses left the barriers. David appeared next to Francois and said, "As if you'd go for a _sheep_ horse.vi" He snorted a laugh.

"Sheep?" asked Raivis.

"Someone from New Zealand, kid."

Francois turned to the Australian and asked, "So, who did you go for?"

The young man held up his ticket and grinned. "_Shocking:_ 9 to 1, but I like to take a chance."

Arthur pushed in between them, his arm pressing against Francois's. After David flipped him off and left to find someone, Arthur smirked and showed him his ticket. "_C'est La Guerre__vii_, he came in third last year, so I'm hoping he'll do better this year."

"_C'est La Guerre_, strange, I thought you would've gone for an Irish Horse."

"And I thought you would've gone for the French sounding one. Maybe you're rubbing off on me." They watched as a jockey and manager celebrated his victory in the distance. He checked his watched: the _race_ that they wanted would start soon enough.

David came back and asked, "How much longer?"

"Ten minutes, kid."

"Bugger, I'll go find Fatimaviii then—"

"But I thought you went to—" But before Arthur could finish, his brother was gone again. Sighing, he turned back to Francois, who was looking back at him. "He's been a loose cannon these days."

"Isn't he always?"

"Not like this."

Ten minutes had gone quickly and it was now the Cup Race. Everyone was quiet as the horses and jockeys made their way to the stalls. A gun shot and then ringing could be heard as the horses ran out of the stalls instantaneously. Everyone around them cheered and yelled as the horses made the first stroke.

Alfred felt exhilarated: he had never, really, gone to a sporting event like this before. He loved sports; from Aussie Rules Football to the cricket (though he watched mostly when he was bored) to soccer. He loved watching the adrenaline rushes, the cheers and boos: Everything!ix

The horses were nearing the last leg of the journey now. He could see it, which would win and loose! He hoped that Francois wasn't going to be too angry after this.

And the announcer called: "It seems that _Shocking _has come in first; followed by _Crime Scene_ with _Mourilyan_ taking third! What a day in racing. _Shocking_ has come out well for someone who came in eighth last year…"x

In a fit of anger, Arthur scrunched up his ticket and threw on the ground. Francois chuckled and threw his arm around Alfred's (who was now taking off his hair clips) shoulder and said, "At least we won something."

"That was fun to watch," said Raivis cheerfully. Matthew was glad to see such a rare smile upon the poor boy's face.

The Canadian bent down and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, saying, "You know what, keep the hat: I think you need it more then me."

Raivis started to shake a little and asked, the smile leaving his face, "But- are you sure?"

"As long as you're smiling. I want you to smile whenever you're around me, okay?"

The boy nodded. The two watched as David came skipping over to them, a huge smile stretching from cheek to cheek. He smirk at his brother and gloated, "You'll listen to me, next time, won't you brother—"

"Go to hell, David!"

"Oh I will, but first I have to spend my winnings!" The Australian burst into laughter and pulled his brother away. As they moved away, Matthew could see Arthur turn slightly to them and waved good bye. He returned it.

They lolled around the place a little bit longer, watching a few more races, before leaving. Not far from Ivan's street, Raivis sighed and said, "Hey, it's almost three, do you…"

"Raivis?"

"I'm sorry Matthew," The shaking boy turned to his cousin and whimpered, "I should get home now, just in case Ivan finds out. I'll come over some time and see Kumajiro then, okay?"

Matthew nodded, hugging his cousin as Francois pulled up a house away. They waved to the boy as he went. Matthew jumped into the front seat and sighed. "Thanks for taking him; it's good to see he's okay—"

He felt warm lips on his cheek. When they pulled away, he turned to Francois and looked at him in confusion. The Frenchman glared at him and said, in no more then a whisper or a sigh, "Don't _**ever**_ do anything so stupid again: Especially not without telling me _first!_"

Matthew nodded as Francois kissed him on the cheek again.

_To be Continued…_

_Author Note:_

_Sorry for the lateness: I SWEAR I was going to get it out last week, or something, but then I wanted to wait until the Cup had come and gone, and then I wrote two other shorts, then homework and exams… oi, I'm bushed! Hopefully you weren't too disappointed, and that I haven't lost too many readers due to my incompetence -_- It's been a hard couple of weeks…_

_Okay, there's also one more reason why it's so late: Unless any of you can help me with idea's for this, I might have to end it in a few chapters. I have an idea on how to end it *coughmatthew/alfredcough* but need to get there first. By the way, even though it looks that way, I probably won't end this with any pairings (accept for the one mentioned above) so for those of you who don't care for Fruk or anything should never fear, it'll become platonic at the end… Unless you want Arthur to be Matthew's new mummy?_

_For any of you who were wondering: I was originally going to write this complex story where Matthew falls for both Francois AND Arthur, with Alfred getting in the way, but with much of the original thought gone (I should really write these things down) I'm really just getting things from the top of my head._

_Now time for the Cultural Reference: Sorry for all the Australian references, it's really all I could use… The Melbourne Cup happens every year on the first Tuesday of November. And because we're in the _Southern Hemisphere_ it's almost Summer, so that's why it's hot!_

_This is the website I used to research the results and a bit of the dress code: http: // xxx. Melbournecup .com /melbourne-cup-carnival/ [[Replace the xxx's with www's and remove the spacing.]]_

i Flemington isn't really much, just a race track in Essendon, five minutes from Melbourne (Capital of Victoria)

ii Yeah, Melbourne Cup day is famous for wearing stupid clothes and styles -_-

iii I put Sadiq here because the Cup is sponsored by a group called "Emirates". That and I was a little loss for idea's…

iv Ari is Hercules's father and owns a Greek food joint. Greeks and Turks don't actually (seem) to hate each here in Australia. Well, none that I've seen (together) anyway. I just added it in to be a little more canon.

v Mourilyan is also a town in Queensland (North East Australia) where they grew sugar.

vi Yeah, it's a little joke between Aussie's and Maori's (Native New Zealanders). There's a LOT of sheep in NZ: 3 sheep to every 1 person apparently. It's just a bad joke I decided to throw in…

vii I'm not joking: there's really an New Zealander horse by the name of C'est La Guerre that appeared on Melbourne Cup. It came in 8th this year.

viii I don't really know any Indonesian names, so I gave the character of Indonesia (girl) an Arabic name: Fatima.

ix Aussie Rules Football is a popular sport in Australia. Only thing similar to American Rules is that they have a similar scoring system (I think) but they're very different otherwise. And I decided that the yank kind likes cricket, since his Australian in this, but doesn't really care for it, since he acts like an American. Hopefully that makes sense since I should be in bed now -_-

x Result: 1st was Shocking (Australian), 2nd was Crime Scene (Irish), and the 3rd was Mourilyan (Irish).


	11. Doppleganger

One Body, Split Mind

[Matthew x Alfred x Arthur x Francois]

_Doppelganger_

Part 11:

Matthew walked down the hall, thinking: it was his first session of the year. He'll be starting Uni in a couple of months, in the city, and was a little nervous. He stopped outside the door, waiting for the previous session to conclude.

As the door opened, he looked up and gasped at the site: standing there was a boy, much around his age, and his appearance! The difference was that this boy had longer hair, pulled back into a ponytail so that he looked a little like an artist. Even his glasses were almost the same, only blue.

The boy stared at Matthew, then smirked, walking away. Arthur appeared at the door and ushered Matthew in.

"Now, there's a question I haven't seemed to have asked yet, to my shame." Said the man, tapping a pen onto his board.

Matthew bit his lip, nervously. "Um, yes—"

"I was wondering about your history." Matthew sighed in relief. Arthur continued, "You're parents are Russian, but you're Canadian…"

"Yeah, well, um…"

"I just want to know a little bit about your history, is all." Arthur looked up and smiled warmly. "If that's okay with you?"

The Canadian nodded, trying to remember exactly what Francois had told him when he was younger. "My mum's, I think, Belarusian, but went to Russia for military purposes."

"So she was part of one of the Soviet armies?"

"Yeah: and that's where she met dad." The boy stopped for a moment, trying to remember exactly what his father did. "I don't remember exactly what he did, but it had something to do with the military too."

He saw Arthur write something down then nodded to Matthew to continue. "But after they got married, I think they fled Russia to Canada, where I was born."

"They weren't there for very long though." Said Arthur: Matthew stayed silent. "Canada's opened to immigration like this, isn't it?" Still nothing. Arthur bit his cheek and tried again. "Or did your dad do something there—"

"Um… he kind of—"

"Yes?"

"Sort ta…"

"Go on…"

"Something to do with an assault charge."

_Of cause, I should've known._ Thought Arthur, sitting back on his chair. Another question popped up in his head though: "Why didn't he just cross the border into America or Mexico then?"

"I think he had relatives here, or something. Yeah, I think he's brother and sister were living here…"

"That makes senses." Arthur hastily scribbled upon his clip board. He suddenly stoped. Without looking at Matthew, he asked, writing things down again, yet at a slower pace, "You're Canadian; your parents are Russian; we're in Australia…" Matthew looked at him curiously: what was the man getting at? "Do you watch a lot of TV Matthew?"

"Um, I guess so: I watched more when I was younger." He let out a small chuckle, remembering when Francois first brought him home. "I use to watch Power Rangers—"

"When you were at Francois's house—"

"And dad's."

Arthur looked up, cocking an eyebrow. "Ivan let you watch TV?"

Matthew shrugged indifferently. "He was drunk most of the time: he wouldn't've noticed."

"And your mother?"

"Always tending to father or in another room."

Matthew bit his bottom lip, remembering one more happy memory of when he was younger. Arthur noticed this and asked, putting on a warm smile, "Is there something else you remember?"

Matthew shook his head: he couldn't tell, it would be embarrassing.

"Come on Matthew, tell me… please?"

The young man giggled, his cheeks turning a little red, "Kiku's going ta flip when he hears this: I use to watch Sailor Moon when I was a kid."

Arthur snickered. "It's okay: I liked Captain Planet when I was ten. Which of the girl's did you like?"

"Sailor Mars."

Arthur looked up, seeing the content smile on the boy's face. He asked, "Why? She doesn't really seem, kind of…"

"She represents red, and is brave and…"

_She's kind of someone I want to be. Someone I still hope to become:_ was what Arthur heard. After eight years, the boy still surprised him. The session was half way through when Arthur noticed _the _change.

"That boy."

Arthur kept looking at his clip board: he didn't need to look up to see who it was by now.

"The one who was in before: he looked like me—"

"I can't tell you anything about him, Alfred." The man looked up when he spoke the name.

The American shrugged and asked, "What was with all them questions before? You know: about TV. Everyone watches TV you know."

Arthur chuckled, hiding a smirk behind his clipboard. "Just a bit of observation; that's all."

He suddenly felt pressure on his legs, as well as a pair of arms moving around his waist. He put on a scold as he looked down. It softened slightly, though, when he saw the distant expression on the young man's face. "What's wrong?"

"Is Mattie going to leave me one day?"

Arthur was taken back by this question: how could he leave? Weren't the two part of one another?! He retorted back with, "Al, that's a bit hard—"

"Are you going to make him leave me?" The boy looked up with malice. He hadn't known the young man to be violent, but even Arthur – after all these years – knew to expect more, especially with these two.

Arthur could feel nails lightly digging into his back. "Alfred, he's not going to leave you—"

"What about that boy?!"

"What about him: he's just another patient."

"Who looks like me!"

"So?!"

They were both red at this point. The Englishman looked up and smirked, revealing that it was about time for the session to end.

Just as Alfred went to get up, he froze, breathing heavily. Suddenly, and without warning, his clips fell out of his hair and he toppled over. Arthur sprung from his seat and knelt down, touching the boy's forehead with his hand: a little high, but barely by a degree. Matthew was still breathing deeply, a pained – yet strangely content – look upon his face.

The man went to see if Francois was outside the room, but was stopped by a hand grabbing his ankle.

"Mr. Arthur, really: I'm fine."

Matthew had a strained smile as he tried to push himself off the ground. Arthur was quickly at his side, hoisting him up.

The boy didn't show up to his next session.

_To be Continued…_

_Author Note:_

_Man I'm getting sick of this story; it's going on a whole different tangent now -_- But since people don't seem too bothered by this, I'll finish the story. And if you were wondering, I'll be finishing this story in another few chapters, just a little more explaining to do. Also, you probably can tell, but if you can't: I'm not going to tell you who that boy is, just keep an eye on him ;)_

_This chapter was more of an explanation as to how multi-cultural Matthew can be. And if you can't tell: Alfred (since always claimed as the hero) is a creation from American TV shows we have here. Which is a lot… Basically, in order to create a stronger personality, you could say that his alter ego studied the _ways of the American's_. That's why Alfred is American._

_When I was a lot younger (4, 5 maybe) I remember watching Sailor Moon when I was younger: I love that show. So I figured that Matthew would've watched things like that when he was younger too. And because I wouldn't think of anything else, I just left it with Sailor Moon. Hey: men watch it too. I have this friend who's sister's like it, so he has to watch it and now he likes the show ^_^ Funny how women can get me into even yaoi…_

_Oh, and I know that some of you might've given Matt's favourite Sailor Scout as maybe Mercury, since they're both passive aggressive type of people. And I was going to say Venus, just to make things a little different; but then I just stopped at Mars. Strong, level headed (though with a bit more of a tempter then Matt has), RED: what else can I say?_

_Sorry about the delay: dad was coming down to see us for Christmas, so I decided to not hog the computer while he was here, then I started on another Fruk story I was HOPING to finish by now, but didn't, and then I started to feel down (I've got a busy few months ahead for me -_- ), but I finally got around to finishing this._

_Now excuse me as I try and finish this Australia/England story I want done by Australia day on the 26__th__. _

_Oh, and don't worry: Mattie's okay. I just got stuck with how to end the story, so I came up with that. It won't draw away from the story _too_ much, but there is an ulterior motive to it._


	12. Late Plot Device

One Body, Split Mind

[Matthew x Alfred]

_Late Plot Device_

Part 12:

The young man walked down the hall. Matthew wasn't sure where he was going. Was he lost? He sighed, looking at his time table again: okay, he was on the right campus, in the right faculty; he just seemed to be in the wrong part.

He looked at his map again, and then at one of the door numbers near him: they were going up instead of down. 111… 113… 115… Well, at least he was in the right lot of numbers.

As he went to turn around, a voice nearby asked, "Are you lost? Want me to help, mate?"

Matthew turned and stood wide-eyed: standing in front of him was the teen he had met only a few months ago. They had a remarkable resemblance to each other.

The other youth snickered and held out his hand, saying, "Aren't you cute: I'm Alfred."

Matthew stepped back quickly, blushing a little. Noticing how rude he was, the teen recovered and took the hand, shaking it lightly. As he went to let go, Alfred held on for another minute before releasing the hand.

He winked and asked, "What room are you going to?"

"Um, 104--"

"Good, that's the English Communications class. You're in with me."

Suddenly, Alfred grabbed the other teen's wrist and pulled him down the hallway. They quickly got the classroom and leant against the hallway wall. The room was locked, with no one within it, it seemed.

Quickly irritated by the silence, Alfred asked, "So, I saw you at Arthur's office."

Matthew didn't say anything.

"Okay, then what's your name by the way?"

"It's Matthew, but some people call me Matt. You can call me Matt if you want."

"Good, then you can call me Al."

They smiled.

The class start five minutes later. Matthew was happy to see Kiku there as well. His friend explained, "I want to be a Computer Engineer, but I need an English subject. What about you, Matthew?"

"I figured, because of my knowledge of Russian, I decided… maybe I'll be a Diplomate."

Kiku stared at him. Before Matthew could say anything, the teen asked, "I didn't know you spoke Russian."

"Yeah, I was never too fond of the language, but I had to learn it when I was younger."

"Why is that?"

"My parents," Matthew smiled nervously and continued, "They didn't speak English very well, especially my mother, so I would translate for them. I haven't really used the language much, since I've been living with papa, but I still remember a fair bit of it."

Kiku was shocked how little he knew about his friend: true, they had been friends for quite a few years, and that both of them were quite passive and silent about themselves, but it still shamed him.

As class started, they didn't notice the extra person that joined their table, until it was time for everyone to introduce themselves.

Each kid got up, said their name, little about themselves, and then sat down. Matthew's and Kiku's went by quite quickly. Then Alfred stood up. The two looked up at him in shock, not realising he was there. He cleared his throat and said, "I'm Alfred and I came here from America, recently. I'm planning to be a lawyer when I finish."

The teacher asked, "Why did you come over here from America? We don't get many yan- American's over here. Family reasons, or better choices over here?"

"Bit of both," Alfred smirked and shrugged, earning a couple of sighs from the girl's in the room. "My parent's didn't like it, where we were living, so we moved here."

"Okay, very good. And now to the next student…"

When the introductions where done, the teacher started with the lecture: which was quick due to time constraints. When class was over, everyone filed out in a hurry, with a few of the girl's staying behind to talk to the teacher. Alfred walked between Kiku and Matthew, smiling to himself.

They found some empty seats in the cafeteria and sat down. After a few minutes of silence, Kiku coughed and asked quietly, yet trying to talk over all the other kids, "So, if it isn't an intrusion, why are you here in Australia?"

Alfred looked over at him and smiled. "When I finished my education up there, I wanted to go somewhere else, so my foster parents said I could come here; so we did. I don't know why Australia: maybe it sounded nice at the time, or something." He shrugged. "And you's two?"

"I'm sorry, I should've introduced myself: I'm Kiku and I want to be an engineer," Kiku told him.

Matthew chuckled. "And I, a Diplomate."

They talked through out lunch. It turns out that Kiku was the only who remained in his family. "My sister's gone to Vietnam on a student exchange and my little brother's with a friend over in England; so it's just dad and I now. It's alright; though I think he's trying to kick me out of the house."

"Why?"

"Something to do with _racking up_ the electricity and phone bill."

The end of the day had come and Matthew was about to walk home, when he felt someone pat him on the shoulder. He turned around to see Alfred grinning near him. The American asked, "Where are you going?"

"Um, home…"

"Is it far?"

"Well…" Matthew thought: he knew where this conversation was going. But, he didn't even know this boy! Could he trust him? "Not far, just outside of the city. I normally take the train, but I felt like walking today--"

"Can I come?"

Matthew could feel something bubbling inside of him, but that was all. He was tempted to move his hands up to his pocket and get out his clips, but there something stopping him. It's as though this Alfred was suppressing the Alfred within Matthew. With a sighed, the Canadian nodded.

Alfred grinned again. "Great, let's go!"

They walked on.

After ten minutes of walking silently, Alfred asked boldly, "So, what's wrong with you then?"

Matthew looked at him, shocked, and asked, "What? What do you mean?"

The American chuckled and stopped, looking ahead. "Well, I know I shouldn't ask, but I was wondering why you were visiting Arthur. If you tell me, I'll tell you why I was there…"

Matthew couldn't believe the nerve of this guy: they had only known each other for a day - technically - and already he was asking the Canadian such a touchy question. But then again, he, himself, was curious as to why the other one was there. So with a sigh, Matthew told him: "Multi-personality disorder--"

"Just like me: cool!"

Matthew swivelled around to face him. The other teen was smug, but there was something sincere. Building up the courage, the Canadian asked, "So… so you're--"

"I was abused my father when I was younger. I now live a nice *coughgaycough* Danish couple. Actually, father's Danish; mother's Norwegian. Mum's kind of cold and quiet, but she's real nice to me… Maybe it's just around dad when she gets that way…"

"You have another personality?"

Alfred was slightly taken back: he didn't know why, but the question caught him off guard slightly. He smiled and winked. "Yeah, he's _real _quiet too. I'll tell you about him some time."

When they got to Matthew's place, he invited his friend in to show him Kumijiro.

"He's getting pretty old now, but still going."

"I didn't know people could keep them as pets."

"You can't, just don't tell anyone." Matthew winked at his friend.

_To be Continued…_

_Author Note:_

_Sorry for the wait: I've been a bit busy. And now I'm going to start UNI next week, so I'll be doing one more chapter. Sorry if this seems a bit quick…_

_Thanks to a lovely reviewer, the concept behind this is that real-life Alfred has the same problem (if you can't tell, he's other is Mattie). I know I went through Al's bit about his life too quickly, but I wanted to finish this up as soon as possible._

_Before I start up the last chapter, can you review or PM me anything I might've missed. There's a fair few characters whose ending I haven't thought up yet, or have forgotten about, so yeah… The next chapter will have Mattie talking to Ludwig and Alfred about where everyone is now. _


	13. End of an Era

One Body, Split Mind

[Matthew x Alfred]

_End of an Era_

Part 13:

Matthew sat at the table, reading the newspaper as a young woman placed down a cappuccino. He said thanks and went back to reading. He didn't have any lectures or tutorials that day, or assignments any time soon, so he decided to take some time off.

He looked down at his watch: 11:29. After a minute, a familiar person sat down across from him. Matthew looked up and smiled at Ludwig, who returned it.

The German asked, "Ever since I've been at Ballarat Uni, we haven't talked."

"I know, I feel guilty: I've been so busy lately."

"Understandable. I saw your father at Antonio's the other day: is he still working at that restaurant?"

"Yeah, he's now working as head chef." Matthew closed his book and placed it down onto the table. He took a swig from his drink and continued, "Were you there because of Feliciano?"

Ludwig nodded. "He and Lovino are working there now. They don't seem to mind, even Lovino behaves now."

Matthew looked over to him and smiled. "And what have you been doing lately? I'm mean with Uni and your brother."

The German laughed and answered, "You don't know what I'm doing, do you? No, yeah: I'm doing the Bachelor of Business at the moment."

"How's your brother?"

Ludwig's expression sobered. He looked a way and said, "A bit troublesome: Gilbert hasn't got a job at the moment, so I'm trying to I'm trying to _help_ him get work while studying."

"Are you strapped for--?"

"We have money: I have my youth allowance. But if brother didn't drink so much…" He bit his lip. He crossed his arms, sat back on his chair and then smiled, asking, "Things are doing well with you, I hope?"

Matthew nodded. "I seem to be seeing Mr. Arthur less and less now."

Ludwig looked at him curiously. "Why is that?"

"My episodes… seem to be a lot less these days. He says that, in another year or two, I should be fine. He started me on some pills that should help control Alfred a lot more."

"And do you take them?"

Matthew looked up at Ludwig, who asked again. "Alfred seems to be quite avoidant of wanting to be shut away. He's caused you so much trouble, yet you still…"

"It's not he's fault." Matthew turned his gaze to his cup. He picked it up and nursed it in his hands. "Alfred's only ever been there to protect me. Arthur assured me that I won't _get rid_ of him; just control him a bit more."

"And, _have_ you been able to control him?"

The Canadian didn't respond. "Matthew?"

Matthew looked up and smiled broadly. "He has a friend now."

Ludwig almost jumped out pf his chair. "Don't tell me you have _another_--?"

"No." Matthew shook his head and smiled pensively. "No, it's just Alfred with me. But we met a friend."

"Who?"

"In my Communications class. He's name is Al too, believe it or not." He almost burst into laughter. "He even looks a lot like me, can you believe it?"

The German couldn't believe what he was hearing. He sat back on his chair again and sighed: could there be another Matthew out there? Such a thing wasn't normally heard of, but it wasn't impossible either. His eye twitched as he boldly asked, "So… will I be able… to meet your friend, possibly?"

Matthew looked at him and chuckled. "Of cause you can--"

"Oi, Mattey, how's it going?"

Ludwig turned in his chair and gasped: standing at the door to the café was, what seemed to be, a doppelganger of Matthew. The boy even had the same height and hair colour. Some of the people in the café turned at this sudden boisterous announcement, before returning to their own devices.

Alfred walked up to their table. At closer inspecting, Ludwig could see that this young man's frames [for his glasses] were different to Matthew's: while the Canadian always seem to have a fondness for any shade of red, this boy seemed more intrigued by blue.

Alfred stuck out a hand towards Ludwig and said, "Hey, are you one of Matt's friends?"

Ludwig, quickly recovering to the sudden action and accusation, nodded his head and said, "Yes, I'm Ludwig." He took the hand and shook it.

The other teen chuckled and said, "Nice ta meet ya, I'm Al."

"American, I guess?"

"Yup, just moved here not long ago." Alfred then turned to the counter and said, "I think I should get a drink. That Kiku kid should be here soon."

Before either of them could respond, he went towards the counter and asked the waitress for a drink. As they waited, Ludwig turned to his friend and asked, "Kiku's in your class too?"

"Yeah, he should be here soon."

"Are you guy's talking without me?" The two turned to see Alfred standing before them, holding a mug. He smiled and sat down next to Matthew. "Just because I'm new doesn't mean I have to be out of the loop."

"We were just talking about Kiku, Al." Matthew told him.

"Talking about the Japanese, how's that bear of your's?"

Matthew cocked an eyebrow, and then nodded slowly as he figured out Alfred was talking about his Koala. "You mean Kumijiro. He's been sick lately, so dad and I decided to give him back to David and Fatima until he gets better."

"Who's Dave and Fat--"

"Fatima," corrected Ludwig, before getting up. "I think I will go and get something to drink as well. I won't be long."

"Okay," said Matthew, before returning to Al. "David is Arthur's brother, who runs the RSPCA with an Indonesian woman called Fatima. They let me look after Kumijiro when I was younger. He was good company to talk to--"

"Was?"

"He's sick now. And old…"

The Canadian didn't look up as Ludwig sat down with a cup of coffee. The German asked, "I was wondering; how is your cousin doing? Is he's father better now?"

Matthew looked up and smiled. "Oh, yeah: Eduard recovered fully and moved out with Raivis. Dad's still working at that construction site. I don't know about mum though: cousin says she might be waitress-ing or something."

"She should be a barmaid: maybe then her husband will pay attention to her."

Matthew chuckled coldly. _She'd be good at it too…_

"Konnichiwa, everybody," said Kiku, walking towards them. He sat next to Ludwig and smiled, "I see you are all well."

The Canadian smiled and said, "Oh good, you're here now. We'll just finish our drinks and then we can head off."

Ten minutes later, with their cups empty, the four got up and exited the café. Matthew and Alfred hand in hand…

_The End._

_Author Note:_

_PHEW! All over, yay! It's the end of an era, I'm afraid, folks. No, I won't be continuing it now: I don't know how to keep writing without sounding lame. That, and I've kind of started a couple of other fics so I want to work more on them now._

_Sorry for the café scene: I didn't know how to round up the story while trying to explain what happened to all the characters. Hopefully I've added in everyone. If I have, oh well they probably weren't important anyway :P Think of it this way: imagine that everything's pretty much the same, except that Matthew's happier because he had Al ^_^_

_Oh well… See you guy's later!_


End file.
